Christmas on Angel Island
by KnuxfanEO
Summary: It's Christmas time, and everyone's in the spirit! That is...except Knuckles. Mighty tries to help him sort out his feelings for JulieSu, but that isn't the only problem he has. Will it be a Merry Christmas for him?


Author's note: Sorry I've been inactive for so long. Senior year sux the big one. Hopefully I'll get back into the grove and finish 'Emerald War', for those of you who have read it. If you haven't, check it out! But first read 'Freedom Force of Mobius', the first part of it.

Echidnapolis had just been hit with its first snowfall of the year. And what a time for it to come! That special time of year had finally arrived. Christmas! The trees were filled with multi-colored lights, the shop windows were filled with toys and gifts, and each streetlight had a wreath dangling from it. The city itself was like an undersea utopia, with waves of white snow crashing against the sides of stone and steel structures, with white algae collecting on the rooftops.

Echidnas walked up and down the streets, bundled up in warm clothing. However, one stood out among the rest. The young guardian, Knuckles, solemnly walked down the street in his usual attire: socks, shoes, gloves, and his grandfather's hat. The citizens wondered how he could stand the unbearable cold, but somehow or other, he did. He was in the company of the Chaotix, his closest friends. They laughed as Espio, camouflaged so that none could see him, stuffed a snowball down the back of Vector's jacket. He cried out and began to fidget around, which only added to his friend's amusement. Some people passing by tossed coins at him, thinking he was a street performer. When the snow had finally fallen out the back of his jacket, he glared angrily at Espio, who shrugged innocently. The group decided to stop at a small coffee shop to get something warm to drink, and so Vector could clean out his jacket.

Knuckles got voted for getting the orders from the counter, being that he was the Guardian and got anything he wanted for free. As the waitress gave him the tray with their drinks on it, she winked at him and said, "Happy holidays, Guardian." She then leant next to his ear and whispered, "And in case you wanna know, I get off work at five." She giggled as he turned a bright red, and left to join his friends.

As he sat down, Mighty snickered and asked, "What did she say?" Knuckles handed out the drinks and said, "What any waitress tells me: When they get off work." "Jeez, man! You really got it good," Ray said before sipping his hot chocolate. "Yeah. I'm tellin' ya, brutha, I woulda been set with at least twenty chicks by now!" Vector stated. "How noble of you," Espio commented. "My question is…why haven't you gotten hooked up yet, bro? I mean, it's not like you have to try hard. You could announce in the street that you needed a date for tonight and they'd flock to you!" Mighty said, causing Knuckles to blush. Mighty frowned and playfully punched his arm. "Just joking, man. C'mon." "I know, I know. I'm just…" "Maybe you already have your sights on someone, and just aren't telling us. Hmmm?" Espio suggested. Knuckles' eyes looked away, which made Mighty feel bad. "Well, since he only has about two friends that are girls, lets see what we can depict," Vector added, "Hmmm…There's Princess Sally, and the Witch. 'Which' one could it be?" Knuckles just sat there blushing, looking very uncomfortable. "Cut it out!" Mighty said, standing up. Vector and Espio looked at him, and then at Knuckles, who was still looking away. "S-sorry, Knux. We-we didn't mean to…We just got carried away and…" "It's fine." He replied quietly as he got up and left the table. As he went out the door, Mighty got up and hurried after him.

The armadillo called after him, but he didn't respond. He just kept on walking with his head hanging until Mighty got in front of him and stopped him. "Hey, hey, c'mon! Don't be so upset." When Knuckles didn't respond, Mighty sighed and said, "I'm sorry I got that whole thing started. It was my fault. I shouldn't have done that to you." Knuckles, still silent, just took a deep breath and sighed. "Is this bothering you that much? You wanna talk about it?" "I dunno." "It might help." Knuckles sighed again and said, "It's just…well Julie-Su is my best friend besides you…and I don't wanna ruin that, but…I-I feel weird whenever I'm around her, Mighty. I don't even know how to describe it besides…I feel happy being around her." "Maybe telling her would be something to do." "No! No, I can't." "Why?" "Because…because…" "Because you think she won't feel the same way?" Knuckles' silence was the only answer he needed. However, Mighty wasn't sure just how to continue. He knew that Julie-Su was crazy over Knuckles, but the inexperienced bachelor Guardian just didn't see the signals she was sending him. "Knux, you have to. Even…even if she doesn't feel that way about you, you'll never know unless you talk to her." Knuckles shrugged and quietly replied, "I guess."

Mighty gave him an odd look and asked, "Is this all that's bothering you? You haven't been yourself lately." Knuckles looked away, then back at Mighty. "I guess…it's just because Christmas is coming up." "So? You should be happy! It's the best time of the year!" "Maybe it is for you, but it never was for me!" Knuckles growled as he turned away. Mighty's eyes widened with surprise. He reached out and placed his and on his friend's shoulder and asked, "Why?" Knuckles was silent for a moment, then began, "I was eight years old that year…"

_Young Knuckles laughed as his father lifted him up so that he could place the star on top of their tree. They had been living out here in the wilderness for as long as Knuckles could remember. Locke the echidna set his son on the ground, and they sat down on the old sofa next to the fire. "Only a few more days until Christmas, son," Locke said. "I know! Isn't it awesome!" They looked at the fire, and Knuckles said, "I wish you didn't have to go on that trip." Locke sighed and said, "I know, but it's very important that I do. But don't worry. I'll be home on Christmas morning." Knuckles smiled and hugged his father. Locke made a small smile, then stared blankly at the fire. _

_Knuckles woke up on Christmas morning and rushed out to see his father. However, when he got there, Locke wasn't there. He assumed that the weather had delayed him, being that it was snowing pretty hard. He decided to make breakfast for when Locke arrived. He sat around all day, waiting for Locke to show up, but he never did. Days passed by, and still he didn't appear. Realizing that his father wasn't coming back, he angrily threw the tree out the door, closed himself in his dark room, and cried._

"I haven't seen my father since," Knuckles concluded, his head hanging. Mighty, overcome with sorrow, said, "I…I don't know what to say…No. I do know what to say. Things are different now. You had no one since then, but now you do. Knux…we're your family now. So why don't we make this Christmas a special one? Your mom invited all of us to a Christmas party, so we can spend it together and have a great Christmas." Knuckles looked away, pondering, to which Mighty replied, "And…someone special will be there, if you catch my drift." Knuckles looked up at him to see he was smiling, and in turn smiled back. "Alright. Let's give it a shot."

"Give what a shot?" a familiar voice asked. They turned around and Saw Julie-Su, who, like Mighty, was wearing a heavy winter coat. "Uh, you know…a Christmas together!" Mighty said. "Sounds cool," she said. She then turned to Knuckles and said, "How can you walk around like that? I'm freezing." Knuckles shrugged and nervously spluttered out, "Um…I dunno. I-I guess I'm just n-naturally warm?" She gave him an odd look and giggled, "You seem a little hyper today." Knuckles wasn't sure how to respond, so Mighty saved him and said, "He's just in the holiday spirit!"

The three friends decided to head back to the coffee shop to look for the others. They all regrouped outside the shop, but Espio, Ray and Vector, feeling sorry for how they acted, didn't say anything in Julie-Su's company about what they had said. They headed out to the town center to see the Christmas tree being set up. Three cherry-pickers were being used to decorate the tree with lights. Mighty looked back to see Knuckles and Julie-Su standing next to each other in an odd silence. Whenever one would look at the other, they would turn away before they could look back. He signaled to the guys and said, "We…gotta get some last-minute shopping done. We'll be right back!" The Chaotix departed into a nearby shop, leaving the two echidnas alone.

They decided to sit down on a park bench and wait for the others. After a minute or two, Knuckles gathered the courage to ask, "H-How are you?" " I'm…fine. You?" "Me too." They sat in silence, they looked across the walkway from them to see an echidna couple sit down on a bench across from them. The pair looked up at a small plant hanging from the streetlight above them, looked at each other, and kissed. Knuckles looked up and saw a similar plant hanging above them. "What is that?" he asked. "It's mistletoe." She replied. Knuckles looked at her, confused, and she continued. "It's a Christmas tradition…You're supposed to kiss someone if they're under the mistletoe," she said, her eyes half opened. He chuckled and said, "Wow. Now there's something to do to Espio and Vector! Get them under this stuff. They'd die right on the spot!" She faked a chuckle, realizing he, once again, didn't get it. She sometimes wondered if he was really this naïve, or if he knew and was trying not to hurt her feelings because he didn't like her like that.

They both glanced back up at the mistletoe, then at each other. 'This is your chance,' Knuckles thought, 'Kiss her and tell her right now!' 'This is it,' Julie-Su thought, 'Kiss him and tell him how you feel!' They leaned a few millimeters closer to each other, until Knuckles though, 'Wait! Should I let her make the first move? I've never kissed anyone before. What if I do it wrong?' 'Come on…a little closer…' Knuckles quickly turned away and said, "Heh. K-kind of a stupid tradition, huh?" 'IDIOT! You may never get another chance like that!' "Yeah," she replied. 'Stupid! All I had to do was move my mouth another five inches!' They managed to pull out some small talk, although there was an uneasiness between them, until the Chaotix arrived. Mighty could tell by the look on their faces that nothing happened.

"You know well what he would like for Christmas more than anything else in the world." "I know, I know. But… after al these years…" "Well that's your own fault isn't it?" "I didn't mean for things to happen the way they did!" "What, now? Are we going to continue arguing or are we going to finally come to an understanding? Do you think you can hide from him forever?" "…" "I thought not. Please…for Knuckles' sake…come tonight." "…I will."

Knuckles and his friends ascended the stairs up to his mother's apartment. Knuckles knocked on the door and his mother's fiancé, Wyn, opened the door. "Merry Christmas!" he said with a smile. They all stepped inside to see that the room was decorated with lights and a large tree. Lara-Le came out of the kitchen with a smile, walked over to her son and kissed his cheek. "Merry Christmas, son!" "Y-You too, mom." She stared at him with an unsure smile for a moment. "What is it, mom?" he asked. "Honey…there's someone here to see you." Knuckles rubbed the back of his head asking, "Really? W-who?" He turned to the kitchen with widened eyes as a familiar figure stepped out into the living room. It was a red echidna with a white goatee and a matching lab coat, with blue boots. It was Locke the echidna, Knuckles' father. "Hello son." Knuckles took a step back, still staring in disbelief. Knuckles looked away, still shocked, then hung his head and said, "How…how dare you call me that…after all this time." "Son, I…" "Don't you dare call me that! You lost the right to call me your son a long time ago!" With that said, Knuckles turned around and took his hat off of the coat hanger. "I'm sorry, mom, but I can't bear to be in the same room as him." With that final note, before anyone could say anything more, he was out the door and gone.

Knuckles walked down the lonely street, muttering to himself. "I knew nothing good could ever come of this! What a stupid holiday! It's all about lights and getting things! What's the point!" He continued to walk until he passed by the church. He noticed a set of figurines out front that seemed different from all the other decorations he had seen. It included some sheep, a donkey, three well-dressed men and a man, woman and child. Knuckles stood there, wondering what it's significance was, until he heard someone say, "Are you admiring the Nativity scene young Guardian?" He turned to see an brown echidna priest, dressed in a warm, black coat. "What is it again?" Knuckles asked. "It is the Nativity. The birth of Christ." Knuckles looked at him in confusion, to which the priest responded, "It's the true meaning of Christmas. God sent down his only son to save our souls from damnation." "And that's what it's all about?" "Christmas is a time of love and forgiveness. Christ was willing to forgive us for our sins so that we may be with him in Heaven when we pass on from this world." Knuckles looked back at the scene, then hung his head. "What's wrong, young Guardian?" "I…I haven't been very forgiving." The old priest smiled and said, "Well, the night is still young. You have time yet. I must be off. Merry Christmas." Knuckles smiled and, for the first time in years, actually said, "Merry Christmas to you, too."

"He'll come back. He…he was just upset," Mighty said. "No. I've hurt him in a way that can never be forgiven. It was a mistake to do this. I…I'd better go," Locke said. As he reached for the door handle, the door opened, and there he was, face-to-face with Knuckles. They were both silent for a moment, until Knuckles said, "M…merry Christmas…dad." "Locke didn't reply for a brief moment, until he said, "Merry Christmas, son." After another moment, Knuckles threw his arms around his father as tears dripped from his eyes. "It's okay, son. I'm back. I am so, so sorry…" Locke said as he returned the embrace with tears of his own.

From that point, the party went really well. They laughed and talked told Locke about their various adventures. After a few hours, everyone departed. As they headed home, The Chaotix thought it would be a good idea to go see the tree in the town center all lit up. The tree was an amazing sight. It was gigantic, with multicolored lights glistening on its branches, and a large golden star on top. The Chaotix decided to go ice skating in the rink next to the tree. Julie-Su, who had never skated in her life, decided to sit down on a bench. As Knuckles went to join the others, Mighty elbowed his side and motioned his head towards Julie-Su. Knuckles gulped and slowly walked over. "Did you set the mistletoe, Espio?" Mighty asked. "Yeah. Now they gotta do the rest. We can't force them to do anything. "We could always hold them at gunpoint and say 'Make out or die!'" Vector suggested. "Then they'd both kick your sorry behind," Ray said.

"Why aren't you skating with them?" she asked. "I-uh…saw you all alone here and-uh…figured you could use some company!" he replied nervously. He sat down next to her and watched as the others skated. They laughed when Vector tried to show off and ended up sliding on his tail into a wall. A strong wind blew, causing Julie-Su to grab onto Knuckles. When the wind had passed, they looked at each other, and moved apart, blushing. Knuckles noticed something was swaying in the street light, so they looked up to see mistletoe hanging from the street light. "Man, this stuff is everywhere," he said. "Yeah." They sat in silence, then looked at each other. "Hey Julie?" "Yeah?" Knuckles looked down and began, "Maybe…well maybe it isn't that stupid…I mean…" "Yeah," she said, moving closer to him. "Well, I mean, some people might find it useful…and…" "And?" "…Oh, who am I kidding? It's stupid," he whispered. "Yeah," she whispered back before he kissed her. When they stopped, they looked at each other and smiled. "Merry Christmas Knuckles," she whispered. "Merry Christmas, Julie," he whispered back, before kissing her again.


End file.
